Man dies in Loveland house fire

An early morning fire in Loveland killed one person and destroyed a home Sunday in the city’s second deadly fire in a week.

A Larimer County Deputy arrived one minute after a 911 call came in at 4:42 a.m., but the house at 1350 Boyd Lake Av., right off U.S. 34 in east Loveland, was engulfed in flames. Firefighters, including one crew from Windsor, battled the fire for nearly two hours before it was under control, said Loveland police Sgt. Rae Bontz.

The deputies found an unidentifiable body in the home once the flames were extinguished. Police do not suspect foul play.

The victim was taken by the Larimer County coroner for an autopsy today and was said to be an older man, but Bontz said any information about the victim would come from the coroner’s office.

Emergency calls started coming in at 4:42 a.m. from drivers on U.S. 34. Firefighters immediately took defensive positions upon arrival, calling the house a total loss. The single-family home, occupied by a renter, was on the southeast corner of U.S. 34 and what used to be known as Larimer County Road 9. There were no neighbors, only a bank across the street.

Investigators think the fire may have started in the front of the home, Bontz said. It is not known how the fire started. Arson is not suspected.

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Investigators worked quickly to gather evidence inside the house as it was still smoldering. Wood shingles underneath asphalt roofing were smoking. The burned house was unsafe and was demolished with a backhoe. Flames broke out again during the destruction.

“A quick look inside gives them a pretty good idea where it started,” Bontz said. “For the rest of the investigation, they just pull stuff of the top of the pile.”

This is the second deadly house fire in Loveland in one week. A Carter Lake-area fire killed a woman on Tuesday.